Chapter Text
Parties are never Lottie’s thing.
She only goes to them so that she can get away from her home, but even then, sitting in a corner the whole time isn’t fun at all. Lottie brushes off the dust on her skirt and goes back to staring at the night sky. The trees ruffle gently below her, a reminder that she’s still at Jackie’s house and sulking outside the balcony again.
What was the party even about again? Lottie remembers Jackie mentioning their victory, urging everyone to come to her place to celebrate. She had no other choice but to reluctantly agree and come along, even though she was better off skipping it. Lottie pushes away her thoughts and pulls out a cigarette from her pocket. She needs something to take her mind away.
Fall is the perfect season, at least to Lottie. It isn’t as hot as summer, but it’s also not as cold as winter, either. Fall also means that she gets to see the trees turn into different shades of red and orange. They’re always nice to look at. She inhales a puff of smoke and holds it in her lungs before exhaling slowly.
The door behind her creaks open, making Lottie snap back to reality and she turns around to see who it is. Lottie silently hopes that it isn’t Jackie coming to drag her inside. A girl with blonde hair peeks out curiously.
Laura Lee. She’s on Lottie’s soccer team, and Lottie knows that the two of them aren’t that close. Sure, they joke sometimes and play next to each other, but it never goes further than that. Sometimes, she catches Laura Lee at church on Sundays. Lottie doesn’t know a lot about her, but she does know that Laura Lee is extremely religious, mainly because of the cross that she always seems to wear. It isn’t anything special, but something about the way it shines in the night makes it look amazing. Magical, even.
Lottie almost drops her cigarette from surprise, before scooting so she can make room for Laura Lee. The two of them stand in awkward quietness as Lottie occasionally smokes her cigarette. Laura Lee is the first one to break the silence.
“Smoking isn’t good, you know.” Laura Lee says with genuine concern in her voice. Lottie scoffs and takes another inhale. Despite that, though, she tosses the cigarette to the ground and stomps the fire out with her shoe. She feels the aftertaste of the cigarette linger in her mouth, making her frown and wrinkle her nose.
“I know,” Lottie simply replies, wondering if Laura Lee minded her smoking. The aftertaste and smell are never pleasant for her, anyway. She only does it because she needs something to do with her hands.
“This party is boring.” Lottie blurts out. It’s the first thing that comes to her mind.
“Then why don’t you just go home?” Laura Lee asks, raising an eyebrow.
Lottie pauses. She has a million things to say to that, but to put it short, her house is the reason why she goes to parties in the first place. Lottie can’t even call it her home. It doesn’t feel like it. Her dad is always around the whole fucking world. Her mom is on vacation every week, and comes home for maybe an hour before leaving again. The halls are left empty most of the time. It creeps her out at night. At least parties are full of people.
She clears her throat. Lottie knows that Laura Lee will never judge her for anything. She isn’t the type to judge, and it isn’t in her nature to, but still, Lottie feels nervous about opening up. She decides to be vague in hopes that Laura Lee would drop the topic.
“It’s not any better at home.” Lottie eventually mumbles, the shakiness clear in her voice.
“Oh.” Is all Laura Lee could say. Does she mean it in a good way? Lottie can’t tell. Laura Lee’s tone is as neutral as ever and it throws her off.
Lottie is trying to decide whether to leave or stay until she feels Laura Lee press her arm against Lottie’s. The contact is gentle and comforting. At first, she barely notices it, but it’s enough to ground her back to reality.
The cigarette from earlier comes into Lottie’s mind again, because now, she wishes she hadn’t stomped it out. Lottie can use something to calm her down right now. As if Laura Lee read her mind, she immediately leans in closer and brushes her thumb against Lottie’s jittery hand. The contact surprises her. The touch is soothing. Lottie finds herself craving for more.
“You don’t have to tell me.” Laura Lee softly whispers. Lottie feels her eyes start to sting and she wants to say everything is fine. She wants to reassure Laura Lee that she’s good, but everything isn’t fine at all. The air is thick with tension, and it’s all too much. Too much for her to handle.
“I know,” Lottie says. Instead of thinking about parents and family problems, she tries her best to focus on how bright the stars are tonight. There’s an awkward silence again before the buzzing of her ears overtake anything else. She’s trying not to freak out in front of Laura Lee and it’s clearly not working.
Lottie tries to distract herself by looking at the stars again, but it only makes things worse. She shouldn’t have come to the party. It was never a good idea. Lottie swallows dryly, regretting her decision even more when the music behind her gets louder.
Lottie observed a lot of things in her free time; It was one of the only things she was good at, and she loved looking at all the little details in her team. Laura Lee had always been one of the most interesting people, since she never shared personal things or hung out with the group. She was also kind of hard to read, which was strange.
“What about you, Laura Lee? How’s this party going for you?” Lottie asks, hoping that Laura Lee would tell more about herself. She hums quietly and considers the question.
“Terrible. The people inside are all drunk and stumbling around. I needed some fresh air, so I went to the balcony.” Laura Lee admits, laughing so warmly that it brings a smile to Lottie’s face too. She feels her tries to picture what it looks like inside. A bunch of teenagers screaming and yelling while they drank their fourth cup of the night. Lottie feels glad she’s on the balcony.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out here.” Laura Lee adds, and her eyes meet Lottie’s. Blue eyes to brown ones. Lottie could stare at Laura Lee forever. Her shiny hair is let down to her shoulders, and she’s wearing a floral dress with a yellow cardigan on top, and of course, her signature necklace. Lottie loves how Laura Lee isn’t afraid to wear what she wants. She loves how Laura Lee isn’t afraid to decide what she wants to do, and it’s impressive to her, really.
Unfortunately, Lottie forces herself to break eye contact as she goes back to looking at the sky. Laura Lee shuffles away and the warmth of her hand is gone. Lottie immediately frowns as she instinctively leans closer, trying her best not to seem disappointed.
Lottie has to hold herself back from asking why Laura Lee moved, not wanting to seem impatient as she risks a glance to her side. Laura Lee stares at the moon for a little too long, as if she’s looking for something that isn’t quite there. Lottie waits for either of them to say something, but the words never come out of their mouths.
“I think have to go soon. My curfew is ten, and I’ve been out here longer than I was supposed to be.” Laura Lee eventually says as she backs to the door, and Lottie turns around to look at her. She wishes she had brought her expensive watch to tell the time. Laura Lee’s necklace is still shining as bright as ever, if not even brighter than before. Lottie catches herself staring for too long.
“Alright. B-Bye, Laura Lee.” Lottie mutters. Sure, she’s lame for not knowing what else to say, but her words get the point across. Laura Lee smiles softly.
“Bye-bye, Lottie.” Laura Lee responds, her smile widening. Her voice is gentle like a melody sung in the morning, and Lottie swears her heart skips a beat.
Laura Lee opens the door and slips behind it, but just before she goes, her head peeks out slightly, face stuck with an expression that Lottie can’t read. She takes a deep breath slowly.
“And Lottie? You could come over to my house if you want. My doors are always open for you.” Laura Lee whispers, so quietly that she barely hears it. Lottie hears it, though, she hears it loud and clear as the invitation echoes through her mind. Laura Lee pulls her head through the door, still smiling, and shuts it with a soft click.
Lottie turns to look ahead, but instead of smoking or coming back to the party, she spends the night thinking about Laura Lee.